2008 Woodie Awards
Team trying to prove they are up to the challenge
Chelsea Growden
Issue date: 12/7/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
The Academic Challenge team placed 5th overall in its first tournament Saturday, Dec. 2 in Hutchison, Kan.
"Of our nine people, only two had played, seven had never played and this was their first ever tournament," Kay Davis, coach, said. "They scored well, it's just until you've played a while you buzz in slow and hesitate."
GCCC took two teams to Saturday's tournament. Team A included Jessica Walters, Tyler Flax, Heidi Hall, Chris Juarez. Team B included Brandi Heinitz, Jessica Messenger, Audrey Robinson, Samantha Roecker, and Justin Elad. Only Walters and Flax have collegiate competition experience.
Assistant Coach Jeff Davis said youth contributed to the GCCC team's hesitancy.
"We have a bunch of young players so they are slow to buzz in because they are worried about answering wrong," Jeff Davis said. "Some of the new ones were pretty overwhelmed."
Along with GCCC, Hutchison Community College, Cloud County Community College, Cowley County Community College, Highland Community College, and Wichita State attended the tournament.
"Most teams were evenly matched, we have a good chance for ending up high in the state tournament," Kay Davis said.
GCCC's biggest contender in academic challenge is a near-by school.
"Colby is probably our biggest rival because they beat us last year by five points in state finals and they're the closest to us. That's how it usually works, the closest school is your biggest rival," Kay Davis said. "We scored ahead of Colby, but the team that got first was Hutchison."
The team tries to stay on top of the news to be prepared for tournament.
"We practice twice a week. We study things like current events and things that are likely to be asked about," Kay Davis said. "When they throw Russian history or French revolution questions at us we kind of sit there. Non-American History is our weakness."
Academic challenge, which is similar to scholar's bowl in high school, requires certain things of team members.
"We have high standards, we want well-rounded young men and women," Kay Davis said.
Their next tournament is Feb. 10 at Cloud County.
"Of our nine people, only two had played, seven had never played and this was their first ever tournament," Kay Davis, coach, said. "They scored well, it's just until you've played a while you buzz in slow and hesitate."
GCCC took two teams to Saturday's tournament. Team A included Jessica Walters, Tyler Flax, Heidi Hall, Chris Juarez. Team B included Brandi Heinitz, Jessica Messenger, Audrey Robinson, Samantha Roecker, and Justin Elad. Only Walters and Flax have collegiate competition experience.
Assistant Coach Jeff Davis said youth contributed to the GCCC team's hesitancy.
"We have a bunch of young players so they are slow to buzz in because they are worried about answering wrong," Jeff Davis said. "Some of the new ones were pretty overwhelmed."
Along with GCCC, Hutchison Community College, Cloud County Community College, Cowley County Community College, Highland Community College, and Wichita State attended the tournament.
"Most teams were evenly matched, we have a good chance for ending up high in the state tournament," Kay Davis said.
GCCC's biggest contender in academic challenge is a near-by school.
"Colby is probably our biggest rival because they beat us last year by five points in state finals and they're the closest to us. That's how it usually works, the closest school is your biggest rival," Kay Davis said. "We scored ahead of Colby, but the team that got first was Hutchison."
The team tries to stay on top of the news to be prepared for tournament.
"We practice twice a week. We study things like current events and things that are likely to be asked about," Kay Davis said. "When they throw Russian history or French revolution questions at us we kind of sit there. Non-American History is our weakness."
Academic challenge, which is similar to scholar's bowl in high school, requires certain things of team members.
"We have high standards, we want well-rounded young men and women," Kay Davis said.
Their next tournament is Feb. 10 at Cloud County.
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